Two can canoe with Toucanoe!

So we did it. Fitted our touring bikes into cardboard boxes held together with meters and meters of duct tape.

Firstly, I thought it would be apt to provide a bit of background into Toucanoe. It’s a bit random after all. It’s mostly nonsense, but there is some story behind the crazy.

Two can canoe with toucanoe. But how many toucans can two canoe? You too can canoe, with toucanoe.

Say it enough times and it actually starts to make sense.

One of our most memorable moments was when Aaron took me out in his shiny new canoe. The rivers are beautiful in Oxford and there are some excellent launch sites – you just have to find them! After what was fantastic canoe outing we decided that we had to explore further, with more people, and more canoes. Canoe 2 was organised- with 2 canoes and twice the fun. Add in some sunshine, excellent chat and a couple of beers, we were soon throwing around pointless sentences and questionable word play. It was agreed Tula the Toucan was our mascot and forever great canoe adventures would be in 2 canoes.

If that sounds like someone explaining their last dream, I wouldn’t be surprised. However, it helps us source ourselves from the excitement and exploration of Toucanoe – always looking out for good times, adventures and some ridiculousness along the way.

So for this trip across South East Asia, Aaron and I have planned to not plan. With a vague direction of travel, we’ll spend time enjoying the beauty of the moment, trying new experiences with locals and learning to love cycling uphill with heavy panniers!

For those that need a bit more detail, we’re currently flying into Bali where we will take another flight over to Ende in the eastern island of Flores. From there we will take the next 2 weeks or so cycling across the islands through Flores, Komodo, Sumbawa and Lombok before booking a well-deserved massage back in Bali.

We hope you enjoy following our journey.